Life before Forks
by GiggleMeTimbers
Summary: Bella is 11 years old and lives in St Louis, Michigan. Follow as she moves from state to state with hare-brained Renee and her blossoming relationship with Charlie. Watch as she grows from a innocent child until a woman setting out for a new life in Forks
1. Everyone's Story Starts Somewhere

Chapter One Life before Forks

**A/N: First off, thank you to everyone who has clicked the link to my story, this is my first attempt at a fanfic so try to be positive, please. I've had lots of thoughts about Bella and her life before Forks only now have I finally plucked up the courage and decided to put them on pen to paper (well, keys to screen I gues…) Anyway, I truly hope you enjoy reading it just as much as I enjoy writing it. Feel free to R&R. Any ideas are most welcome! **

"God damn it, Bella, we're going to be late!"

I sat on the edge of the bed, fully dressed, stroking the edge of the blanket. My mother's voice hovered behind my door, followed by her footsteps as she rushed downstairs, cursing. I slumped onto my back and stared at the ceiling. I covered my ears with the palms of my hands. I growled under my breath, longing for a mom who knew how to look after me, or at least a dad who could help her out.

Renee was a single parent; I lived, fatherless, in the city of St Louis, Michigan whilst Charlie, lived in the small town of Forks, Washington. Rumour had it he was being promoted to Chief of Police there. I couldn't know for sure, he was only allowed to ring on my birthday and at Christmas. My parent's relationship was as rocky as it had been since the early days of their marriage. Those were the only days their marriage had, the early ones. My mom fled Forks just months after giving birth. She took me with her, and from then on we moved from city to city, from state to state as she moved on from man to man. My childhood was nothing but unstable, but I didn't complain; I didn't know life any other way. It was obvious that I was a burden, weighing her down, a red light on her road of recklessness and stupidity. Not that she was stupid, just a little hair-brained. She was flighty and nothing or no-one could keep her grounded. She loved to have fun and did so in the craziest ways. She got bored easily so she went out a lot, usually leaving me at home. She couldn't hold a job down and had something of a reputation in our neighbourhood. She was my best friend.

Unfortunately, I made it to school on time. We pulled up outside the school; I could see kids from my class flooding in through the gates.

"I love you." She never let me go without a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"You too mom," I threw my arms around her neck, squeezing it gently. "Now remember to pick the dry cleaning up at…"

"Eleven. I _know_ kid!" She laughed as I pulled on the handle and jumped out onto the sidewalk. She blew a kiss at me as she sped away down the road.

I took a deep breath as I turned around to face the school building. The sun was strong, casting three long shadows in front of me.

"Good morning, Isabella." The cotton candy voice scratched my ear drums.

"Hello Georgie."

I didn't cower as they approached me. The beautiful blonde leading the pack; her loyal minions followed suit. I was used to the pain.

The burn on my knees as I was thrown to the floor was familiar, cuts reopened as I was booted and battered by their dainty hands and feet, and more clumps of hair fell out as they clawed away at my head. I knew better than to make a sound.

"Kick her in the head!"

"I'll get her ribs"

"Haha! Look at her squirm!"

"Nice one Georgie!"

Before I knew it, it was over. The bell rang and they skipped away, arm in arm, their laughter tinkling through the air. I dared a glance down at my exposed legs. They were glowing crimson. Blood was seeping through several large cuts on either side of my knees and blotches of purple were already starting to appear. I applied a band aid on the largest graze and collected the strands of hair that lay lifeless on the sidewalk.

"Isabella Swan! What are you doing on the floor?" It was the principal, Miss Sutton. I scrambled around my head for an excuse.

"Um… My hair band fell out Miss."

She scowled at me from behind her thick rimmed glasses, her piercing green eyes penetrating mine with a deep anger. "I suggest you get to class Miss Swan, before I call your mother."

I mentally scoffed as I ran towards the large yellow doors, my bag bounced noisily as I panted, tripping over my feet in a hurry to get inside. As I came to end of the yard, I stopped at a small trashcan. I looked around to make sure nobody was watching and added a fistful of my own brunette locks into the steaming garbage.

**Note: Future chapters will be longer, I promise! **


	2. You're My Everything

Chapter Two Life before Forks

**A/N: As promised, this chapter is longer. I'll try by best to make them meater for you all, but as this is my first fanfic I like to think of these stages as a little 'Trial and Error' phase. Keep with me guys. **

School went by in a blur. I dazed through English; Miss McCarthy was reading to us out loud. I pretended to listen, but I was too busy worrying if Renee had picked up her dry-cleaning to make any sense of it; I made a mental note to pass by there on my way home. Math was torture. I was called on when I didn't have my hand raised. I flushed scarlet and stuttered my way through an incorrect answer. This led to a round of sniggers from my class. Someone threw a note at the back of my head. I didn't unfold it until I was sat alone at lunch when I pulled it out of my bag and smoothed it out under the table. It simply said: Bella is a loser. I reached into my pocket for a pencil and scribbled 'I know' underneath. At least they hadn't said it to my face.

At the end of the day, I made sure I was last to leave. Georgie and her gang had cheer practice, but that wouldn't stop them waiting in the hallways for me. If I was a more able child, I would have ran from the second I left the classroom to when I stepped through my front door. As it was, I couldn't manage walking over a flat surface without tripping over my own feet, let alone _run_. It was times like this that I wished I had at least one special friend. No, not even that. Just someone to talk to. It was a shame I moved around too much to make any successful friendships, plus, everyone seemed to fit neatly into their little cliques. I was different, an outcast, and most of the time I didn't mind. I'd lose myself in a good book for hours and hours, making imaginary friendships with the characters that were bound to the pages. But sometimes I couldn't help but wonder, if I had just one friend, someone to stick up for me, maybe Georgie wouldn't pick on me so much. I knew it was just a fantasy and in reality I figured that Georgie would pick on me regardless. I was an easy target - quiet, shy, average. She considered herself to be beautiful and superior to all that dared to even breathe the same air as she. But as far as I could tell, she was just as lonely as I was; her loyal minions only stuck around for the 'popularity' that came from just sharing the same personal space as Georgie Harrison. I didn't envy them and I didn't envy her. I'd trade my literary friends for fake buddies any day.

Most days I took the bus home. Today is was warm out and I'd recently discovered a few back roads that led to my house pretty quickly. I hummed as I strolled along. It was easier not to fall flat on my face when I wasn't rushing, and as I knew for sure I wasn't being followed I took the opportunity to take my time. I mentally made a to-do list which could also be titled a 'homework due in tomorrow' list; there wasn't much more to my life than homework so I threw myself into it as soon as I got in. I made myself a sandwich and settled down for the night.

**LBF - LBF - LBF - LBF - LBF - LBF**

"Bella, honey, your mom's home"

My mom's latest fad was working out. She had taken out a gym membership and was going every Tuesday and Thursday as she had been for the last three weeks. On these days, during the hours of four and six, I was 'looked after' by the girl from next door. Crystal was seventeen, and spent most of the time making out with her boyfriend, Sam. It was gross. While she was round, I stayed in my bed, lying under the covers. But I could still hear their lips smacking together even with the pillow crushed over my head.

As soon as I heard the latch, I hurled myself from my room and down the stairs.

"Hey mom"

"Hey baby. Thanks for sitting for Crys."

"Anytime Renee, see you Thursday?"

"Sure thing. See you later, and you Sam."

"Yeah. See you." He nodded his head in her direction, it was the most I had ever heard him say.

"Bye Bella." Crystal waved at me as Sam closed the door behind them.

Renee was rooting in her bag, obviously looking for something. Her eyebrows were knitted together in confusion. "Good day at school, Honey?" She said, her voice muffled by the purse. When I didn't answer, she looked up.

"Cell?" I said with a slight smile, passing her what I assumed was the root of her frustration. She looked up at me and laughed.

"What would I do without you?" She planted a kiss on my forehead and trotted into the kitchen. I watched her with awe. Even then I understood why Renee got so much attention from guys. Her hair was a deep shade of red, unnaturally so, she had large round eyes, an illusion of innocence, which was merely that: an illusion. Her frame was petite, yet curvaceous. It was a breath sight, even in cropped sweats and a novelty tee. All in all an enviable figure. From as long as I could remember, I had hoped I would grow up to be just like her. As it turned out, I always remained as awkward as I was then, at eleven years old. Although, I looked a lot like my mother but I was much paler and drastically slimmer and, sadly, I always remained this way. She came back through to the seating area holding a slab of chocolate cake. I stared at her, one eyebrow raised and my head cocked to the side.

"What?" Her high pitched tone matched her amused expression. "I deserve a treat after all that exercise!" She paused at the coffee table to pick up the remote, and jumped backwards into the couch. She threw it into her lap and tapped the adjacent seat, signalling for me to sit there. I grabbed the comforter off of the arm of the recliner and took up my favourite position. Snuggled into the crook of Renee's shoulder, she wrapped the blanket around me and left her arm resting over my back.

"Anything good on tonight?" She asked, shoving a forkful of dripping chocolate fudge in my direction. I opened my mouth wide and clamped down, sliding the warm, sweet substance across my tongue. I made sure to swallow before I answered.

"No idea."

"Want to pick a movie? We haven't seen that new one yet..."

"I'll get it." I sighed, I hated the sloppy rom-coms Renee obsessed over. Yet I craved quality time with my mother and when she was happy, I was happy. I couldn't help the feeling, though, that there was someone missing. My dad. I often felt like this, especially after a tough day with Georgie. I was sure that if she knew my dad was a cop, she wouldn't pick on me. But there was no point dwelling on what would never be and I couldn't miss what I had never had. I took the DVD out of it's case and pushed it gently into the receiver. I crept back over to my spot on the couch. I was dreaming before the end of the opening credits.


	3. Didnt Anybody Tell You? Life Isn't Fair

It was during the week before we broke up for summer that I had my first nightmare. It was around 2am when I woke up in a cold sweat, screaming into my pillow. I couldn't remember much from the dream. What I did remember were the bright colours, and somewhere during the middle of it a beautiful blonde girl, with the most ferocious eyes was chasing me, chasing me into death. This dream, I was used to. I'd had it nearly every night since my first incident with Georgie almost a year ago. However tonight something had changed. The weirdest and possibly the most terrifying thing was that my father's face kept creeping into it and fading suddenly. I wrapped my arms around my chest and cried myself back to sleep.

The following night I had the exact same dream only the colours were brighter and the girl was faster and this time she was chasing Charlie. Again I woke up screaming, louder this time. I was still crying as Renee came charging in through my door. She was naked. She cradled me to her skin - it wasn't soft anymore. She started rocking me like you would an infant, kissing the top of my head and saying 'hush' down my ear. Her warm breath tickled my face. I wriggled out of her arms and looked into her eyes. I figured her terrified expression mirrored mine.

"What happened baby?" Her whisper was soft but she was scared that much was obvious. This wasn't the first episode of night tremors that had woken the both of us in the middle of the night. But they'd stopped months ago.

"B...bad...dream." I whimpered through sobs that were racking my chest.

"I thought these had stopped?" She said, pain ripping through her voice. I shook my head and she went back to soothing me. After a few minutes my breathing slowed back to normal but tears still fell rapidly from my eyes.

"You want to come into my bed?"

"Yes please." I knew it was a completely irrational desire at my age but I needed to feel my mothers arms around me. I didn't understand what terrified me most about the dream, but it fuelled a slightly less irrational desire, forcing it to the fore-front of my mind. Neither Renee nor myself had much sleep for the rest of that night.

The next morning, a question was burning a whole in the tip of my tongue, I couldn't pluck up the courage to ask it.

"Juice?" My mom asked, pouring a glassful and setting it in front of me.

"Thanks." I mumbled.

She looked at me with a concerned expression, "What's up, Bella?"

I shook my head and picked at a piece of toast. She didn't look convinced. I sighed and looked down at my plate. "My dream." I whispered hoping she hadn't heard me.

"What happened Bells?" She came round to the side of my chair and squatted beside me, resting on the balls of her feet, "You can tell me. I've never seen you so scared. Please tell me."

I took a deep breath and dared to look her in the eye. "I want to stay with dad." I felt bad for ignoring her question, but I felt guilty for such a request.

"Y…your… Charlie?" She sounded shocked, I was expecting anger so this surprised me.

"I miss him, mom." I dropped my eyes from her gaze.

"I know you do, Bella. I'm sorry" She sounded sorry.

"What? Why are you sorry."

"I should have let you see him more often, Honey. I'm so.. so sorry."

"Don't be silly, Mom. I know what I want now. Maybe we can arrange something." A small smile appeared on my lips.

"What?"

"Well, you can call Dad. Tell him I want to see him."

"And why would I do that?" A bit of that anger I had been waiting for filled her tone of voice.

"Because I...I want to see... see him."

"Isabella, if your father wanted to see _you_, don't you think he would have made an effort to do so. I won't put you through that." I could almost taste the venom in her voice now. It made me mad. I couldn't believe what she was saying. I defended my father. "When did you ever give him the chance?" My voice raised an octave, as did hers.

"Your father has had plenty of chances, Isabella…"

"Like when? On my birthday and at Christmas? I want to see him mom. It's not fair."

"Bella, didn't anybody ever tell you. Life isn't fair. Besides, he could have called when ever her wanted. " She finally stood up. Calm and collected. I was the complete opposite. I felt the resentment and irritation rise like bile into my throat.

"No, mother. No one thought to teach me that, or any valuable life lessons. My father has been banned from seeing me while my mother is too busy sleeping around to even think about what her daughter needs."

At first she looked shocked, then hurt, and after that just plain outraged. I forced myself to keep looking at her, even though I knew what was coming next.

"You little…" I watched as her hand pulled back, and came swiping towards my face. I felt the pain before her palm even made contact with my cheek. It was a little sharper than what I was used to, but nothing to make me cry. Renee had never hit me before, so I guess it was a shock to her when there was no reaction. Her chest was rising and falling faster than I had ever seen. Guilt washed over her face as soon as her arm recoiled. I could see she was about to apologise so I held one finger up to her lips and simply said. "I've had worse."

I watched as the guilt subsided and confusion consumed her expression. "What do you mean you've had worse?" Her voice was somehow higher pitched than before.

I laughed once, "I can't believe you haven't noticed... Actually, yes I can. See you later Mom. I've got to get to school."

"Bella," Her voice had softened. I could tell she wasn't angry anymore. She placed a constricting arm around my waist and then used one finger to lift my chin up to look at her. "Baby, you have to tell me. Has someone been hitting you? Hurting you? What is it honey. Please tell me." Her eyes showed nothing but concern, concern for the daughter she had abandoned.

I shook my head. "Just drop it. I don't want to talk about it with you." I expected her to argue, surely this was the natural thing to do?

"Would you speak to your dad about it?" She didn't say it in a malicious way or even sarcastically. I shrugged my shoulders and looked down at my feet, fiddling with a loose button on my shirt. "I'll call him. As soon as you get in. Maybe you could spend the summer in Forks with him. Hmm? Would you like that Honey?"

"I guess so."

"I mean, you don't have to. But.. you know... if...if... you really _want_ to see him..."

"I do."

"There we go then." She let go of me, letting me walk towards the door. I had just placed my fingers on the handle when she called. "Bella?" I didn't look back so she carried on. "I love you."

I stood there for a second. Waiting for my reply to come. It didn't. I yanked down hard on the handle and let myself out, slamming the door behind me. As I headed towards the yellow bus, I felt her eyes on my back. "I love you too." I whispered as a paper plane jabbed me in the cheek.

"Bella's talking to herself." I'd recognise that cotton-candy voice any where. I looked down the aisle to see Georgie staring at me. What I saw on her face shocked me. It was full of pity, of sympathy and of understanding. Before I could understand she spoke again, her eyes widening and her upper lip curling back over her teeth. "That will mean a few more punches at lunch, girls." They erupted into a fit of laughter as I took my usual seat at the front of the bus.


	4. Falling Into Reality

**Please R&R, I'd love to hear what you think of the story so far. Is it too slow? Too quick? Boring? Please let me know.**

**-Kate **

I often took a nap after school, I usually woke up around late afternoon. So when the sunlight in the window had been replaced by an eerie darkness I was instantly ashamed of myself. I paused before pulling down on the handle, listening out for Renee. I didn't hear anything. "Mom?" I called her name softly. I crossed the landing and opened the door to her room. The curtains were pulled back and the bed was made. My eyebrows furrowed together in confusion; the walls in this house were paper thin and I could usually hear my mother clanging and banging somewhere. I called out again. "Mom, where are you?" I waited at the top of the stairs, expecting a reply. None came. I paniced and decided to take the stairs two at a time. Big mistake. I had only made it past the first couple when my heart skipped a beat as I tripped, crashing down the rest of the staircase with multiple thuds. It all happened so quickly. The room was a blur as I slid furiously to the bottom. I could just about make out the shape of my couch before I smashed head first into the wall. Simultaneously, I felt the blood trickle down my forehead and down to my nose. I raised my arm up, whimpering with the pain, and wiped my face with the back of my hand. The amount of blood surprised me and I pulled it back to look. I let out a scream as blood dripped off of my fingers, onto the rug. I started to feel faint, my head was spinning I could feel bile rising in my throat. "MOM!" I managed to cry her name before the darkness evaded me.

"Bella? Bella? Bella where are you?" A worried voice broke through my hazy silence

"Mo...om" My lips wouldn't move properly, so it came out more of a groan.

"Bella?"

"I'm here."

"Jesus Christ, Bella!" She'd found me, but she hadn't spotted the blood yet, when she did, she let out a deathly scream and came running to kneel beside me.

"Ok, Honey. Wait there. I'll ring 911. Just wait there."

Moments later, she was back, with the phone pressed to her ear. I could make out her figure more clearly now. She wrapped her arm around my neck and starting dabbing at my head with something cold.. She murmured a few 'Mmm hmms' into the receiver before hissing 'just get them here as quickly as possible' and throwing the phone behind her. She continued to wipe away the blood. I winced as she moved closer into my hairline

"Shh, its okay, Sweetie."

She was wearing white, and I felt guilty about the splatters of blood I could see on her top.

"Your top." My voice didn't sound right, it was quiet and weak.

"My top? Oh it's nothing. Don't worry." But she was wrong. I knew it was her favourite. The one she wore for special occasions. Before I could question her, she started rambling.

"Is that better Sweetie? You look a bit better. More colour in your cheeks. Yes, much better. The ambulance will be here soon. I don't know if we need the hospital now. You look much better. Maybe I should cancel them. But you did hit you head pretty hard. There was a lot of blood. So much blood…"

She was panicking; I needed to calm her down. "Mom." I breathed heavily and looked into her eyes. "Sorry,"

"Sorry? Oh Honey, you don't need to be sorry. Its not your fault you're so clumsy." A small smile broke across her face.

I nodded once. I went to say something else, but my eyes felt heavy. I needed to sleep. My eyelids flickered once.

"Oh no you don't. Come on Bells. You can't go back to sleep. Stay awake for me baby, please. Look, the ambulance is here now."

Sure enough, I could make out sirens somewhere in the distance, but that didn't ease the weight of my eyes.

"5 minutes." My words were slurred. I felt sick again. And once more I felt vomit rising. I breathed inhaled slowly. But it was too late. My body was too heavy. I couldn't turn my head. I retched twice and my stomach churned.

"Oh God. Oh God." Renee had stood up; she was turning me onto my side. I heaved again. "Oh Bella, my Bella." She was crying as the paramedics came running in through the door.

"Its ok Ms Swan, she's in safe hands now." The voice was deep.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." She was chanting my name, stroking my head; my vomit was leaking onto her shoes.

"Ms Swan, I have to ask you to move away from Bella. She needs to get to the hospital."

I felt her kiss my head before a new set of hands were cradling my body.

"Bella, I'm Ian. I'm a paramedic. I'm going to stay with you until you get to the hospital. Is that ok?"

I nodded once. I tried to open my eyes. As I did so the room span.

"Sleep." I mumbled.

"Bella, you have to stay awake until we can get you to the hospital. Bella? Can you hear me?"

"Yes." My words were slurred again, but for now the queasy feeling was gone.

"My baby. My baby." I heard my mother as Ian lifted me, sliding on to what I assumed was a stretcher.

As we passed her I heard him say, "Ms Swan, I suggest you call Bella's father and tell him to meet us there."

"Charlie lives in Washington." She didn't sound angry, just worried, panicked.

"Then it's probably best he gets the next flight to Michigan. You can ride with us or with one of my colleagues"

I knew we were outside by the chill of the wind. They hurried me into the back of ambulance and swung the doors shut with a loud bang. Once we were on the move, they strapped me up to large machines, and shoved wires up my nose and tubes into my arms. It hurt. I started crying and for the first time I heard my mother get angry.

"Stop it, your hurting her. Can't you see?"

"Ms Swan..."

"Please stop calling me that. It's Renee." Her tone was clipped.

"I'm sorry, Renee, please stay calm, for Bella's sake? The tubes will help her to breathe."

"Is she going to be okay?" She grabbed my hand and gave it a light squeeze"

"There's a lot of blood, and we're worried there might be some internal bleeding. We can't know for sure what is wrong with her until we get her to St Mary's. But I strongly advise you to make that call..." His voice was drifting again, darkness was tugging as my conscious state.

She cursed. "I've left my mobile at the house."

"Then I'll have someone contact him as soon as we arrive."

"Thank you."

I didn't know if I had slipped away again, or if she just didn't say another word for the rest of the journey. The last I think I could remember was arriving at the hospital and Renee being whisked away to a waiting room, screaming at anyone who would listen. From that moment, I drifted in and out of consciousness for three days. I remember hearing the beep of the machines. Constantly, day after day. They annoyed me terribly. One the day I finally came round my first words were, "When can you turn that damn beeping off?" My question was aimed at one of the nurses that I knew were snooping around. But the answer came from someone entirely different.

"Hey, I won't have my little girl cursing like that!"

My eyes darted open. I took in the man before me. His dark moustache and tussled hair made him instantly recognisable. "Dad!"

**So what did you guys think? Was it too predictable? I don't know…**

**I plan on adding more detail to this chapter later. I know that's probably not much good seeing as you have already read it but feel free to come back and take another look later on?**

**PLEASE REVIEW! **


	5. Come Fly With Me

**A/N: I've edited this chapter and hopefully I've banished any previous mistakes.**

"Hey baby girl!" Charlie flashed his signature grin.

For a while I was dazzled. I hadn't seen him in so long.. too long. I could see tears dancing about his eyes. His hand was placed on my leg, protectively. His hair was shaggy and seemed darker than ever. His moustache was raised; he was still smiling.

"Oh Charlie, give your daughter a hug for crying out loud."

We both stared at Renee with confused expressions; I couldn't remember Charlie having ever embraced me. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, his hand remained firmly on my leg, he turned back to me and looked up through his lashes. I smiled shyly at him and opened my arms out in front of me. I nodded at him in encouragement. Both Renee and I watched him with wonder as he slowly raised from out of his chair, his hands remaining on the seat as the rest of his body stood almost erect. I frowned... didn't he want to hug me? I lowered my arms, my lips puckering.

"Bells." He was at my side, staring down at me with a tortured expression.

I tugged the blanket up to my chin and stared down at my hands. I sighed, my eyes pricked and were starting to sting. I felt rejected, unwanted, dirty. Sobs racked my chest as I felt strong, muscular arms wrap around me. It felt wrong.. yet so right at the same time. Salty tears dripped from my lashes. "Daddy." I cried into the crease of his arm. He soothed me by stroking my back gently. I lifted my head up and kissed his cheek; simultaneously, a startling flash momentarily blinded me. Charlie grunted something ineligible into my untameable hair and Renee giggled excitably.

"That's one for the album!" My dad let go of me with one last peck on the cheek as I turned to face my mother. She was clutching a silver camera with both hands, admiring the image in front of her. She chuckled again and thrust the camera into Charlie's face.

"Hmm... yeah.. lovely..." Charlie had always hated photos, yet he couldn't quite manage to hide the pride from his voice nor the smugness from his face.

Renee looked at me and winked.

"You okay, Honey?"

"Fine, Mom."

"Can I get you something? A drink? Are you thirsty? There's water in here or I could fetch you something. Do you want anything to eat. You haven't eaten..well... for days have you? I know you're on that drip and all.." She stopped in her tracks at looked at me with alarm. I hated needles. Suddenly the bleeping of the machine seemed to be all I could hear, and the I.V that was shoved under my skin was all I could feel. I felt the blood drain from my face. Adrenaline burst through my system. I glared at the tube and felt an urge to rip it out.

"Isabella! Don't you.."

"Argh!" I glanced down at the gaping hole, it was overflowing with blood. Pain seared through my limb. I held the tube triumphantly in my hand.

"NURSE!" My dad was hunched over in the door frame, his knuckles turning white as he clutched it.

"Bella. You silly, silly girl!" Renee looked furious as she stood at the foot of my bed.

"Oh Isabella, what have you done here?" There was suddenly a team of doctors and nurses huddled around me. Two of them were trying to reinsert the I.V. I kicked and thrashed. I did not want that thing back inside of me. "No. NO! Get it out!"

"Isabella, come on, Sweetie. Be good for the doctors and nurses now." The irritating nurse was dark haired and plump, she was short and her rimless frames sat perched on the end of her crooked nose. I squirmed as the angry mob pinned me down leaving me with no choice but to lay there, helpless. I still screamed at them, but none of them said anything back to me. Renee was back in her chair, motionless apart from the slow shake of her head. I could hear her tutting. I scrunched my eyes shut as I was fussed over and warned. I reopened them, just seconds later, to find there was only one doctor left, he was looking at a chart at that hung from the bottom of the bed. That nurse was still there, smiling at the doctor.

"How are you doing today Mr Kingston?"

"Fine thanks, Ann."

"That's good... good. How are the children doing?"

"Very well considering..."

"Ahh, bless them. Its always the children I feel sorry for."

"Yes, thank you, Ann." He put down the chart and looked up at me. "Now, Bella, you have to promise to be good. These tubes will help you get better. Do you understand?" He was grinning at me, it was infectious.

"Yes, Doctor Kingston. I'm sorry. I just... like... _hate_ needles." I shuddered, trying to ignore the throbbing where the I.V was attached under my skin.

The nurse interrupted before he could reply. "I didn't mean to cause offence, Mr Kingston..."

"Mr Smith needs assistance in bed 5."

"Err... of course." Ann was stuttering, I was giggling, and Renee was gawking at the doctor. I sighed in exasperation – I couldn't take her anywhere.

"Doctor?" Kingston turned to face my mother. "She is going to be okay?" I figured she wasn't talking about my little episode as concern was thick in her tone, yet I could shake the feeling that she was playing up the concerned mother...

"Between you and me, Ms Swan..."

"Please, it's Renee." She glanced self-consciously at Charlie who was sat beside her, nose absorbed by the latest edition of 'Carp Weekly' his favourite fishing magazine. He'd always been a keen fisherman, I could remember that. The doctor continued.

"Renee, Bella should be home before the end of the week."

"The end of the week?" Charlie was obviously back on planet Earth. "Doc, that's fantastic! Hear that, Bell?. Home by Friday!" His smile stretched from ear to ear, it was incredibly sweet.

"I'll have a nurse come in to change her dressings for a few weeks and she'll have made a full recovery before the end of summer break."

"Thank you, Doctor." Renee was batting her eyelashes at him. I rolled my eyes at her but she didn't see. Good; she hated it when I did that.

As Mr Kingston left, I could have sworn he I saw him wink at her.

"Bells, your mom and I have been talking," Charlie interrupted my trail of thought, "and how would you like to come and stay with me when you get out of this place?" He looked apprehensive, very much so. He was twitching in his seat. I looked to Renee, she shrugged her shoulders and smiled playfully.

"I'd love to dad."

"You would? For real? You wouldn't have to stay long... you know... if you miss your mom... We'll just take it easy."

"Sure." I played it cool, mainly for Renee's benefit; I could see through her happy pretence. But this is what I needed.

"You really want to?"

"Yes, Daddy!"

"Well.. Bells.. that's great. Really great."

"Great..." echoed Renee.

"Mom, you don't mind do you?"

"Of course not, Honey." I doubted anyone else would have detected it, but she sounded deflated, hurt in some way, I reigned in my enthusiasm some more.

"It won't be for long." I felt the need to reassure her. I wanted to spend some time with my dad, but I was worried about leaving her alone. She hadn't been 'alone' since before Charlie and I didn't know if she would be okay.

"I know baby. I'll be fine. You'll have fun. Your dad will have fun." She nudged him and the playful smile was back, but it didn't meet her eyes. I still felt guilty. I nodded; a lump in my throat refrained me from being able to say anything else.

"Err... Renee?" It was awkward to hear Charlie use my mother's name. I didn't know why.

"Mmm?"

"You could..er.. come too.. if you..er.. wanted to..."

She burst into a fit of laughter. "Me? In Forks? I don't think so. But thank you. It's nice to see your heart is in the right place."

He blushed. "Well... you know.. I don't want you to be.. er.. lonely or anything..."

"Charlie, a few weeks to myself? It'll do me the world of good." She nipped at my exposed toe. "A break from this one? Why on Earth would I skip the chance?" I scowled at her and she laughed again. "Just kidding. Bella, you really need to get some rest..."

"Rest? Mom, I've been sleeping for three days! You want me to get some.. rest?"

"Your mom is right, Bell. Dr. Kingston wants you to get as much sleep as possible before you come home..."

"Well if _Dr. Kingston _says so..." I flashed a knowing look at Renee.

Both of my parents noted my saracastic tone. "Bella..."

I scowled. "Will you two stop ganging up on me? Its not right!" I folded my arms over my chest and frowned. Simultaneously they erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Maybe if I started yelling at you and she'd be happy."

"Hey, I've had enough of the yelling, okay?"

They looked at each other and smiled. I mean really smiled. It wasn't a smile shared by two people in love, but of two people who had so much in common, a shared past, present and future. A smile of friendship and belonging. It melted my heart to see something to beautiful.

I sighed in defeat and their smile turned into one of smugness. Renee got up out of her chair and leaned across to tuck me in. She planted a kiss on my forehead. "Sleep my Gorgeous Girl."

I sniffed heavily and snuggled into the pillow, wriggling into the comfiest position I could manage. "I love you guys." I closed my eyes and felt sleep consume me within seconds.

***singing and dancing* Bella is going to Forks... Bella is going to Forks... Wonder who she's going to make friends with there? Hmm.. *strokes beard* Kind of really looking forward to writing this part... As always, please rate and review**


	6. Hold My Hand and I'll Be Fine

**A/N: I've now added Chapter 7 to this to make it a more substantial chapter. **

"Are you sure you have everything, Renee?" My mother and the doctor were now on a first-name basis after a rather three-day flirting bender aka my trip in hospital. He had his hand placed tenderly on her shoulder.

"If I don't you could always give me a call." She was twiddling her finger around a lock of her blonde hair. I rolled my eyes and mentally giggled at my mother's teenage attempt at flirting.

"I might just do that." The doctor replied in a husky voice, staring down at Renee with an intense expression. Renee breathed heavily through parted lips as Dr Kingston's hand trailed down slowly towards her elbow.

"You ready, Bells?" Charlie came striding into the room; the doctor stepped away quickly from Renee, dropping his arm to his waist as he did so. I jumped off of the bed and hopped down next to my dad, grabbing his hand. "Thanks Doc." He said, putting out his other hand in the space between them.

The doctor shook it. "My pleasure." He replied, swiftly glancing at my mother.

Charlie coughed and Renee blushed. "Well, we'll be going then." She said with a hint of reluctance in her voice.

"Thank you Dr Kingston." I said in the sweetest voice I could manage. "I'm sure I'll be seeing you shortly." I grinned my knowing grin as Renee playfully hit my bottom.

"Hey cheeky!" She scoffed, ushering me out of the room, glancing back over her shoulder and whispering "Call me."

Out in the parking lot, the sun was bright and it felt amazing on my skin. Charlie was leading me by the hand to where he had parked the car; he was renting one while he was in town.

"Nice ride" I said, as I took in the heap of junk before me.

"It's the best I could get on short notice." He snapped.

I watched Renee cringe as she lowered herself onto the passenger seat. I mimicked her movements, slightly exaggerating them, giving Charlie cause to grumble as he pulled the door shut.

"Ugh, you'd better have something better than this in Forks, Daddy." I chuckled, leaning over the driver's seat to peck him on the cheek.

"Sit down, Bella." Renee barked angrily in my face. I did as I was told. What had rattled her cage?

"Buckle up, ladies" Charlie said, attempting to break the uneasy tension that was now filling the car.

The journey was more than uncomfortable. My parents were making small talk, mostly going over small details about my trip to Forks. Neither of them spoke to me. I did catch Charlie's eye in the rear view mirror once but he just smirked to himself. I huffed and puffed all the way back to our little house yet they didn't take any notice.

As soon as the car stopped outside the garage, I flung myself out of the door, letting myself in using the key from under the eave.

"Bella!" My mother called out to me as I barged in through the door. I threw the key onto the small table that stood just inside the hallway and sprinted towards the stairs. I stopped suddenly before placing my foot onto the now bare staircase. I inhaled once, unable to go any further. "Bells?" Charlie's voice was soft has he placed his palm on the small of my back, I hadn't heard him come in. I jumped at hi touch and turned to look at him.

"I can't do it, Daddy."

"What do you mean? Of course you can." I shook my head at him. He sighed and scooped me up into his arms. "This better?" He said as he started making his way up towards my room. I nodded and placed my head on his shoulder. "Which one is it?" He said, as we reached the small landing, facing four closed doors. I pointed towards the one that would lead us to my room, still saying nothing. Once inside, he laid me gently on top of my bed. "You good?" He questioned me with a worried frown edged onto his brow. I nodded and smiled at him. "Fine" I croaked in a small voice. We both heard Renee panting as she came up the stairs, Charlie turned to face the door, I rolled over onto my side to look at the door and fiddled with a stray lock of hair.

"You baby her too much." Renee scolded him. She was at her usual perch beside me. She took in my worried expression. "What's wrong honey?" She cooed, replacing her own fingers where mine had been just seconds ago. "Is it because I shouted at you? I'm sorry baby, it's been a long week."

I shrugged and sniffed loudly, pawing at my pillow. "You don't want me to go to Forks." I said, matter-of-factly.

Renee took a quick look at Charlie who then made his way of the room, shutting the door behind him quietly. She waited until we heard his loud footsteps retreating downstairs.

"Isabella, I haven't spent a day away from you since we left that God forsaken town. I'm worried about sending you off with Charlie. I know he's your dad but he's got practically no clue on how to be a parent, maybe that's my fault. So I'm going to give him a chance. And if it makes you happy, then I'm happy."

"Dad said you could come with us."

She laughed. "Bella, why on Earth would I want to go back to Forks?"

I didn't have an answer for her. "It was nice of him to offer though, right?"

"Your dad is a good guy Bells… maybe I just forgot that. He'll take good care of you. He may not have seen a great deal of you, but you've always been his little girl, his little princess. I was wrong to deny him of that, of you." I could see she felt guilty, it was written all over her face.

"You did what you thought was best Mom, I don't blame you for that."

"You're a smart girl, Bella. A right little star." She beamed and pulled me close to her chest. "What do you want to eat? I could rustle you something up?" I grimaced at the thought, so did she; even Renee knew she wasn't being awarded America's Best Chef anytime soon. "Or… we could get Chinese if you like?"

"Does Dad like Chinese food?" I was suddenly aware I knew next to nothing about my father's day-to-day life.

"I'm sure he'd prefer his friend Harry's Homemade Fish Fry, but if it's Chinese our baby wants, it's Chinese he'll have to get." She held my chin with her forefinger and thumb and pulled it away from her chest a little to kiss the top of my head. "Will you be okay getting down the stairs? Or do you want your dad to carry you again?" I felt my breathing increase suddenly and shook my head and my vision became strangely unfocused. I squeezed them shut and exhaled slowly.

"I'll have to brave them one day." I said through gritted teeth, swinging my one leg over the edge of the bed. I was determined not to let a couple of steps get the better of me – stubborn as ever.

I walked slowly out of the bedroom door, closely followed by Renee; her breathing was almost as loud as my own. My hand shook violently as I gripped the rail as I tightly as I could. My chest raised and fell with exaggerated movements. _I will not fall… I will not fall. _I repeated over and over in my head. "Bella?" Renee whispered my name, she was worried.

"I'm okay Mom."

"Charlie…" She called out to my dad who was sitting on the couch watching TV. He got up at the sound of her voice. "Stand at the bottom of the stairs will you?" He nodded and took root firmly at the edge of the last step, arms outstretched, ready to catch me if I fell.

"Come on, Bells. You can do it." I nodded in response and slowly placed my foot on the first step. "That's it, Honey." I smiled as I repeated the movement, maybe I could do this. Renee sighed a little with impatience, amplifying my nerves.

"Sorry." I said

"Don't be silly. You're nearly there now. Come on, hold out your hand." Charlie beckoned to me as my fingertips outstretched to touch his. I took the last step and fell limply into his arms.

"We knew you could do it, Bella." Said Renee as she wrapped her arm around my waist and squeezed it gently.

"Of course we did." Echoed Charlie.

"Can we get food now?" I whimpered just as an audible rumble came from my stomach.

Charlie giggled. "Sure sure. What are we having?"

"Chinese." I said, releasing myself from his grip.

"Yummy." He said, patting my head as I bounded over to the couch, more than a little smug.

The night past by in a relative blur; we ate, watched TV and then I eventually fell asleep on my favourite chair, cocooned in my favourite comforter. Tonight was my last night in Michigan. I was ecstatic at the thought of visiting Forks, my birth town. I dreamt about it all night, although I had no clue what it looked like. I imagined blue skies, filled with hope and life, I pictured Charlie's small little house, that comforting smell of orange and cinnamon, but most of all, I dreamt of a future, my future; I knew my heart lay in Forks.

"Wakey wakey, Sleepy Head." Renee, shook my gently. I squinted at her as sunlight streamed in through the window. "You have time for breakfast, want some?"

"No thanks."

"You sure? You shouldn't fly on an empty stomach."

"Not hungry." I said, trying to roll over, my eye lids were still heavy. I shut them.

"Oh no you don't." Renee tickled me. I squealed and squirmed under her firm grasp.

"Okay. Okay!" I panted, helplessly.

She stopped and patted the bed clothes. "Get dressed. We have to be at the airport in half an hour. I've laid some clothes out for you on the dresser." She left the room and pulled the door to behind her. I sighed as I sat up, rubbing my aching eyes. I grimaced at the clothes Renee had put out – jeans, a vest, my long sleeved blue shirt, a grey sweater, thick socks and my chucks. _At least the footwear is decent._ I thought to myself on as I pulled on the rarely-worn garments.

"Hurry up, Bella." Renee's voice was just outside my room.

"Coming, Mom."

I took a quick glance at myself in the mirror, pulling a comb through my hair, and then flung myself out of the door, slamming it shut in my haste to get downstairs. I came to a sudden halt. _The stairs. _Both Renee and Charlie were waiting at the bottom for me.

"I can do this."

"Yes you can, Bells." Charlie looked fresh in a crisp white shirt and dark jeans.

I took the stairs one at a time, at a slightly quicker pace than yesterday. Once at the bottom, I brushed past my parents as if it were nothing. I passed the table in the hall way, grabbing the plate of toast my mother had obviously left for me and walked out of the front door. I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling smug after my almost effortless journey down the stairs and soaking up the last of the August sun. I knew from my mother's endless complaining I wouldn't be getting much Vitamin D in Forks.

"Where's the pile of junk?" I asked, turning around to look at Charlie who was also joining me outside.

"Took it back this morning. We're getting a cab to the airport. It should be here any minute."

Right on cue, a silver Volvo turned onto to our road. "Renee, cab's here." Charlie called, cupping his mouth with his hand; he was holding his luggage in the other.

"Do you have any idea how heavy this is?" She questioned, dumping my case in front of my father.

I laughed and pulled my mother into a hug. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Darling." She whispered it quietly and I knew she was crying.

"You'll be okay?"

"I'm a big girl, Isabella. I'll be just fine." We stood there in a tight embrace while Charlie but the bags into the trunk.

"C'mon, Bells." He had the door open, waiting for me to get into the car.

I reluctantly pulled away from my mother. "I'll call you as soon as we land."

"You'd better." She giggled, wiping away her tears. She smiled at me and I wrapped my arms around her one last time. She planted a kiss on the top of my head and squeezed me back. As I let go, she held my hand all the way into the cab. "Take care of her, Charlie." She said as she dropped her arm back to her waist.

"She'll be fine, Renee. I promise." He shut my door and made his way around to the other side, sliding in next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. I waved to my mom as we pulled away. I saw her waving back all the way until we turned the corner.

"Are you sure about this, Bella?" Charlie looked concerned; I was worried he was having second thoughts about this little arrangement. I jumped to reassure him

"Of course Dad… are you?"

"Never been surer." He said, suddenly a little brighter.

"Well I'm the surest." I laughed, poking him gently in the ribs and resting my head on his shoulder.

The journey to the airport was a quiet one. I stared out of the window most of the way, taking in the now familiar traits that made St Louis my home, I committed them to memory. Safe and locked away in case I dared to think of home. Charlie had dozed off and I had to wake him when we arrived.

"Dad. Dad!" I whispered, shaking him.

"Huh? Hm.. What?"

"We're here."

"Here? Oh the airport. Good. Ok."

He got out, stumbling a little and got our things out of the back. He paid the cab driver and pulled his holdall over his shoulder and picked up my case in his left hand. I followed him, one step behind. I was surprised by how strong he was, but then he was a police officer after all. Surely all cops were as strong?

We were due to board our flight to Seattle in 20 minutes. Charlie cursed and rushed over to the check-in desk. We raced into the departures lounge. I look around and found the comfiest chair there and snuggled in. Charlie bought me a coke and there I sat, waiting, waiting for the start of my new life.


	7. The Start Of A New Beginning

I walked slowly out of the bedroom door, closely followed by Renee; her breathing was almost as loud as my own. My hand shook violently as I gripped the banister as I tightly as I could. My chest raised and fell with exaggerated movements. _I will not fall… I will not fall. _I repeated over and over in my head. "Bella?" Renee whispered my name, she was worried.

"I'm okay Mom."

"Charlie…" She called out to my dad who was sitting on the couch watching TV. He got up at the sound of her voice. "Stand at the bottom of the stairs will you?" He nodded and took root firmly at the edge of the last stair, arms outstretched, ready to catch me if I fell.

"Come on, Bells. You can do it." I nodded in response and slowly placed my foot on the first step. "That's it, Honey." I smiled as I repeated the movement, maybe I could do this. Renee sighed a little with impatience, amplifying my nerves.

"Sorry." I said

"Don't be silly. You're nearly there now. Come on, hold out your hand." Charlie beckoned to me as my fingertips outstretched to touch his. I took the last step and fell limply into his arms.

"We knew you could do it, Bella." Said Renee as she wrapped her arm around my waist and squeezed it gently.

"Of course we did." Echoed Charlie.

"Can we get food now?" I whimpered just as an audible rumble came from my stomach.

Charlie giggled. "Sure sure. What are we having?"

"Chinese." I said, releasing myself from his grip.

"Yummy." He said, patting my head as I bounded over to the couch, more than a little smug.

The night past by in a relative blur; we ate, watched TV and then I eventually fell asleep on my favourite chair, cocooned in my favourite blanket. Tonight was my last night in Michigan. I was ecstatic at the thought of visiting Forks, my birth town. I dreamt about it all night, although I had no clue what it looked like. I imagined blue skies, filled with hope and life, I pictured Charlie's small little house, that comforting smell of orange and cinnamon, but most of all, I dreamt of a future, my future; I knew my heart lay in Forks.

"Wakey wakey, Sleepy Head." Renee, shook my gently. I squinted at her as sunlight streamed in through the window. "You have time for breakfast, want some?"

"No thanks."

"You sure? You shouldn't fly on an empty stomach."

"Not hungry." I said, trying to roll over, my eye lids were still heavy. I shut them.

"Oh no you don't." Renee tickled me. I squealed and squirmed under her firm grasp.

"Okay. Okay!" I panted, helplessly.

She stopped at patted the bed clothes. "Get dressed. We have to be at the airport in half an hour. I've laid some clothes out for you on the dresser." She left the room and pulled the door to behind her. I sighed as I sat up, rubbing my aching eyes. I grimaced at the clothes Renee had put out – jeans, a vest, my long sleeved blue shirt, a grey sweater, thick socks and my chucks. _At least the footwear is decent._ I thought to myself on as I pulled the rarely-worn garments.

"Hurry up, Bella."

"Coming, Mom."

I took a quick glance at myself in the mirror, pulling a comb through my hair, and then flung myself out of the door, slamming it shut in my haste to get downstairs. I came to a sudden halt. _The stairs. _Both Renee and Charlie were waiting at the bottom for me.

"I can do this."

"Yes you can, Bells." Charlie looked fresh in a crisp white shirt and dark jeans.

I took the stairs one at a time, at a slightly quicker pace than yesterday. Once at the bottom, I brushed past my parents as if it were nothing. I passed the table in the hall way, grabbing the plate of toast my mother had obviously left for me and walked out of the front door.

"Where's the pile of junk?" I asked, turning around to look at Charlie who was also joining me outside.

"Took it back this morning. We're getting a cab to the airport. It should be here any minute."

Right on cue, a silver Volvo turned onto to our road. "Renee, cab's here." Charlie called, cupping his mouth with his hand; he was holding his luggage in the other.

"Do you have any idea how heavy this is?" She questioned, dumping my case in front of my father.

I laughed and pulled my mother into a hug. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Darling." She whispered it quietly and I knew she was crying.

"You'll be okay?"

"I'm a big girl, Isabella. I'll be just fine." We stood there in a tight embrace while Charlie but the bags into the trunk.

"C'mon, Bells." He had the door open, waiting for me to get into the car.

I reluctantly pulled away from my mother. "I'll call you as soon as we land."

"You'd better." She giggled, wiping away her tears. She smiled at me and I wrapped my arms around her one last time. She planted a kiss on the top of my head and squeezed me back. As I let go, she held my hand all the way into the cab. "Take care of her, Charlie." She said as she dropped her arm back to her waist.

"She'll be fine, Renee. I promise." He shut my door and made his way around to the other side, sliding in next to me and put his arm around my shoulders. I waved to my mom as we pulled away. I saw her waving back all the way until we turned the corner.

"Are you sure about this, Bella?" Charlie looked concerned; I was worried he was having second doubts.

"Of course Dad… are you?"

"Never been surer." He said, suddenly a little brighter.

"Well I'm the surest." I laughed, poking him gently in the ribs and resting my head on his shoulder.

The journey to the airport was a quiet one, Charlie dozed off and I had to wake him when we arrived.

"Dad. Dad!" I whispered, shaking him.

"Huh? Hm.. What?"

"We're here."

"Here? Oh the airport. Good. Ok."

He got out, stumbling a little and got our things out of the back. He paid the cab driver and pulled his holdall over his shoulder and picked up my case in his left hand. I followed him, one step behind. I was surprised by how strong he was, but then he was a police officer after all. Surely all cops were as strong?

We were due to board our flight to Seattle in 20 minutes. Charlie cursed and rushed over to the check-in desk. Once in the departures lounge, I found the comfiest chair there and snuggled in. Charlie bought me a coke and there I sat, waiting, waiting for the start of my new life.


End file.
